novelraw Chapter 250
Chapter 250
249. Childhood Friend - Forest
The enemy thinks like me.
It didn't take long for Elzeor de Lognum to realize this as he entered the forest.
A hammer and anvil tactic. He had led 3,000 conscripted soldiers and 15,000 lightly armed infantry into the forest, aiming to strike the enemy's left wing. But the enemy had also sent their forces.
Contact with the three battalions of conscripted soldiers he had sent ahead had been lost. The messengers sent to them reported that the enemy, not their allies, had taken control of the forest.
"Did you confirm the size of the enemy forces?"
Elzeor asked. The messengers confessed that they had returned immediately after spotting the enemy, just as Elzeor had expected. He sent them back to their positions and fell into deep thought.
Drip, drip.
Raindrops fell on the leaves of the dense forest.
The eighteen commanders halted their troops, ordering them to remain silent and still. In the forest, actions that might reveal their location to the enemy were strictly forbidden.Thanks to this, Elzeor was able to continue his contemplation in relative peace. As the commanders anxiously awaited his orders, the prince began deducing the size of the unseen enemy force.
'At least 9,000, at most 12,000.'
He was probably right.
It might have been a bit late to reorganize his main force, but to silence the three battalions of conscripts so quickly, the enemy would need at least 9,000 men.
That's the minimum estimate. It could be as many as 12,000.
However, Elzeor was confident that the enemy's forces wouldn't stray far from that range, as diverting more troops would cause their main force to crumble.
'The enemy made the best choice they could. But... who is their commander?'
Marquis Guidan was dead.
Elzeor had considered him the most dangerous figure. As a border lord, Guidan was experienced in commanding troops and had a deep understanding of military strategy.
That was why Elzeor had him killed first. Even though Guidan's soldiers, contrary to expectations, hadn't surrendered and continued to resist, Elzeor believed that it wouldn't be difficult to suppress them now that they had lost their leader. Yet, it seemed there was still a competent general on the other side.
'Is it Count Ogleton? Impressive.'
Elzeor de Lognum's thoughts deepened, his mind encompassing both his own forces and the enemy's, along with the environment and time.
I have 18,000 soldiers.
15,000 lightly armed infantry and 3,000 conscripted peasants. The main force, the lightly armed infantry, was fast and well-trained, but their loyalty was low since they had been borrowed from the free trade cities along the coast.
The conscripted peasants from the duchy were relatively more loyal to the kingdom. However, they were poorly trained.
These are important characteristics that must be considered. In times of crisis, troops with low loyalty tend to flee regardless of their combat strength.
The enemy has at most around 9,000 to 10,000. Even that number may have dwindled, so it would be easy to think that I could overwhelm them with nearly double that number.
But while that might be true on open plains, the battlefield's environment here is quite unique. In the forest, anything could happen.
Elzeor couldn't help but smile as he stroked the rain-soaked mane of his horse.
Though the expedition might end in failure, he was delighted to be given a battlefield that would excite any strategist.
The forest.
There is no battlefield where a general's skills shine more. Surrounded by trees and undergrowth, with the rain making it difficult to even gauge the enemy's movements by sound, the senses of every unit are dulled.
In such conditions, the capabilities of field commanders like the centurions are greatly limited.
They must rely heavily on the general's orders, and since the enemy is in the same situation, this environment is where the superiority of strategy becomes glaringly evident.
So how could he not be thrilled?
Elzeor thought, 'My brother Athon would be jealous,' as he pondered how to efficiently annihilate the enemy. The nature of the forest fueled the imagination of an ambitious strategist.
In the forest, the key was how much to disperse the troops. Due to the hills and trees, they couldn't form a unified mass like on the plains. And without mages, there was no reason to adhere to modern squad-based assault tactics. As far as he knew, the enemy only had one mage, Count Soarel Demetri Ogleton.
'Count Ogleton is likely commanding the main force. Even if not, with the three mages I've left with the main force, Ogleton wouldn't have come here. So... haha, I can use ancient tactics.'
Elzeor was genuinely pleased.
King Maunin of the northern Aslan Kingdom, who had secured independence from the Empire, and Queen Reti were heroes to him as well. He had read and re-read their co-authored books, "On Maneuver Warfare" and "The Origin and Maxims of Blitzkrieg," until they were worn out.
He had simulated countless battles with his twin brother.
Now, he had a chance to apply these strategies in real combat. Breaking his long silence, Elzeor ordered the centurions.
"You will now operate independently. However, as visibility is limited, avoid acting on your own. Select five messengers to maintain communication with the main force. Increase the number of scouts from 20 to 100... No, deploy an entire hundred-man unit for reconnaissance. Report immediately if anything unusual occurs."
"What should we do if we engage the enemy?"
"Fight them, but unless the enemy comes from the direction I've specified, don't escalate the battle. Report immediately. If the enemy's position differs from my expectations, that’s crucial information."
The centurions led their units in different directions.
Some units spread out wide to prevent the enemy's advance, while others moved in single file, stealthily burrowing into the forest. However, the banner bearing the crest of Duke Lognum headed elsewhere—to the northwest, slightly behind the front line that the prince had established.
The psychological warfare had already begun.
In reality, Elzeor was hiding with a different unit. He received reports on the terrain and enemy sightings, adjusting the spacing between his units accordingly.
Although he couldn't see it directly and had to rely purely on inference, this was the most crucial task in a forest. The soldiers, blocked by trees and isolated from each other, often felt a sense of isolation.
This was why combat in a forest was so perilous. It was easy for soldiers to mistakenly believe they were surrounded by the enemy, and when they couldn't even see their allies, their morale plummeted the moment they felt the situation had turned against them.
Thus, it was necessary to carefully adjust the distance between units. If they were too close, they risked being encircled; if too spread out, they could be easily flanked.
For a while, a silent competition in deployment unfolded.
Elzeor doubted it was Count Ogleton, but whoever the unknown general was, he and Prince Elzeor positioned their forces in the forest, admiring each other's formations while probing for weaknesses.
'That guy reads the terrain frighteningly well.'
Elzeor suspected that the enemy commander might be a barbarian, one who had lived in the mountains. Whenever he identified a strategically valuable position and sent troops there, the enemy forces had already taken it. Although it appeared advantageous at first glance, in areas where the trees were too thick to pass through, the enemy had stationed small units along the detour routes.
Elzeor had to admit that the enemy had a better eye for terrain. Yet, using the mobility of his lightly armed infantry, the prince managed to draw a decent front line.
Due to the numerical superiority of Elzeor's forces, the front line tilted slightly forward. From the center of the hilly forest, it stretched from the 3 o'clock to the 11 o'clock direction.
Three o'clock was the crucial junction both sides needed to protect. To the right of it, outside the forest, were the main forces of Counts Germain and Ogleton, locked in a power struggle.
Now, the battle would determine whether one side's main force would be encircled or if they would encircle the enemy's main force together. As the front line solidified, Elzeor identified seven barbarian battalions from the enemy.
There could be a few more enemy units—perhaps two to five. The enemy had successfully conserved some of their units by utilizing the terrain.
In contrast, Prince Elzeor deliberately exposed the positions of 14 of his battalions, as if to suggest that these were all he had. It was a ruse to lure the enemy into revealing their remaining forces.
Once the enemy's positions were fully identified, the battle would become much easier.
However, Elzeor, not one to underestimate his opponents, had set a trap.
It was around the midpoint of the line from 3 o'clock to 11 o'clock. There, he had stationed two battalions. But they were made up of conspicuous conscripts.
Even a banner bearing his personal crest had been sent out. If the enemy commander was a barbarian who only knew how to read terrain and nothing else, he might mistake that position for the main force. However, if the commander were far more competent, he would suspect that the true main force was located on the slightly elevated hill beside it, where a battalion remained stationary.
Of course, neither was true.
Elzeor himself was hidden within the frontmost unit, located near the southeastern edge of the battlefield, waiting for the enemy to take the bait. For safety, he had concealed one battalion in the rear.
The prince's reasoning was this:
The enemy commander, being outnumbered, would aim to target him directly to conclude the battle quickly.
The banners, strategically placed among different units, were meant to instill a sense of false confidence in the opposing commander, making him believe he had seen through Elzeor's strategy. And once that happened, it would all be over. Elzeor had hidden 3,000 soldiers in ambush around that area.
It was a plan to efficiently capture a competent enemy commander.
If, by some chance, the enemy commander was incompetent and failed to see the bait for what it was, the entire stratagem would be pointless. In that case, Elzeor would simply crush them in a straightforward battle.
But from what he had observed so far, the enemy commander seemed quite capable, and Elzeor wanted to avoid direct confrontation if possible.
To continue his conquest of the Conrad Kingdom, minimizing losses was crucial. He needed to swiftly wrap up this situation, then encircle the enemy’s main force and force Count Ogleton to surrender.
"Enemy forces are approaching!"
"Which messenger? What’s the enemy's size? Ah! They're retreating here."
Events unfolded simultaneously. The enemy in front of him withdrew, while the ones without a banner took the bait.
It was clear they believed that he was stationed there, intending to shorten their front line by redirecting some forces.
Haha, if that's the case, they're finished.
No matter how many they deploy, they won't break through. They'll be ambushed by the 3,000 soldiers lying in wait, with the banner-bearing unit joining the fray.
'It was fun, but it's a bit disappointing.'
Elzeor then ordered the rest of his units to advance.
His own unit was to chase the retreating enemy and encircle the trapped enemy main force, but suddenly, Elzeor felt a chilling sensation.
Something was off.
'Why are they continuing to retreat?'
This was the critical 3 o’clock position. Even if they pulled back elsewhere, here, the enemy should have only pulled back slightly. But instead, they kept retreating without trying to reestablish their positions.
He even just passed through a concave area between hills...
"All units, halt! It's a trap... damn it."
Prince Elzeor shouted urgently, but it was already too late.
The retreating enemy suddenly turned around.
From the concave terrain—perfect for an ambush—3,000 barbarian warriors sprang out. They had been there from the start. It was as if they had known Elzeor would be there all along.
[Leo, in your desperate search for Lena throughout your life, you acquired the ability {Tracking}.]
"There he is! That black-haired man is Elzeor de Lognum, the prince of the kingdom that enslaves us!"
A young man with light brown hair charged forward, his aura blade raised. Prince Elzeor recognized him immediately.
‘Why... why is the Swordmaster of the Holy Kingdom here?’
That damn Marquis Guidan must have betrayed our kingdom. Elzeor shouted, "Fight!" as he turned and started running.
There was no time to worry about appearances or dignity. The expedition he had longed for his entire life no longer mattered.
My kingdom and my brother's kingdom are in danger.
He had no idea what the Holy Kingdom of Jerome intended with this Swordmaster, and relations with the Conrad Kingdom had deteriorated beyond repair. If his fears were correct, the kingdom of Orun was facing its worst crisis.
His decision was lightning-fast.
The moment he saw the aura blade and the brown-haired youth, he fled, throwing an entire battalion into the fray. However, before he could reach the rear battalion he had placed for safety, Rev caught up with him.
[Achievement: Mount – Leo can now summon a mount.]
Perhaps it would have been faster to run on foot, but as Elzeor galloped across the rough mountain path, he looked back and saw the Swordmaster riding a brown horse in pursuit. The horse hadn't been there before—where had it come from?
Rev, having caught up with Elzeor, considered stopping the prince's horse... but instead, he simply raised his sword. He swung it toward the prince’s neck, but remarkably, Elzeor avoided it by deliberately falling off his horse. He tumbled painfully, rolling violently on the ground, but he survived and continued to crawl away.
‘Ah, that’s right. He’s always been like this.’
Rev remembered killing this man when he had been the Apostle of Barbatos. Unlike Prince Athon de Lognum, who had maintained his royal dignity even in the face of inevitable death, Elzeor had been tenacious in his will to survive. He had hidden in a manure pit, only to be sliced in half along with it.
Why does this guy cling so desperately to life?
Curious but focused, Rev stepped on Elzeor's calf and raised his sword. Yet, once again, Elzeor did not beg for his life.
"My brother will never forgive you!"
Rev flinched and stopped his blade just short of the prince’s heart. It wasn’t the threat that made him hesitate but rather the memory of the debuff that came from killing royalty.
[Achievement: Royal Blood ‘0’ - All royals feel a faint fear towards you. min(1)]
There was nothing to gain from killing him.
With Barbatos gone, there was no way to reduce the kill count debuff, so Rev refrained from killing Elzeor. Even though he felt he could kill him countless times over for what happened in the second playthrough when Lena was kidnapped, he suppressed his vengeance. Instead, he bound the struggling prince and placed him on Bante’s back.
"We’ve captured the prince! Quickly annihilate the leaderless enemy and then assist the main force!"
Rev used four battalions to capture and systematically destroy the enemy battalions stretched along the front line. The lightly armed infantry from the free trade cities, upon hearing that the prince had been captured, lost their will to fight and fled.
By the time Rev gathered the remaining 10 battalions and emerged from the forest, the heavily armed infantry of the Lognum royal family, along with Marquis Guidan and Count Ogleton, were engaged in a fierce battle with the two battalions that had come down the river.
Rev shouted,
"Stop! Elzeor de Lognum is here! Drop your weapons and surrender!"
"Ah!"
The heavily armed infantry, who had been pushing both sides despite being caught in a pincer attack, lowered their swords. Count Germain raged, "This can’t be!" but as Rev drew his aura blade, the troops, now surrounded on three sides, quickly quieted down.
It was a victory worthy of being recorded in history.
The heavily armed infantry and knights reluctantly dropped their swords, and as the nobles, including Count Germain, were bound, the rain finally stopped. Across the dark river, Conrad Kingdom soldiers watched with torches, trying to discern the outcome of the battle.
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